What You Need To Know About Vaccines
At The Healthy Pet, we believe that a healthy pet is a happy pet. As pet owners, we all want the best for our furry friends. In fact, when you think about it, we all want the same thing. We want our pets to live long, happy, healthy, pain-free lives. An important part of making sure your pet lives the longest and healthiest life possible is making sure your pet has all of its necessary vaccinations.
Vaccines are designed to trigger protective immune responses and prepare your pet's immune system to fight off future infections from disease-causing agents. Vaccines stimulate the immune system's production of antibodies that identify and destroy disease-causing organisms that enter the body. Vaccines provide necessary immunity against many diseases and work to lessen the severity or prevent certain diseases altogether. The vast majority of experts agree that widespread use of vaccinations within the last century has prevented death and disease in millions of animals. Simply put, vaccines protect your pet from highly contagious and deadly diseases and improve your pet's overall quality of life.
Do Vaccines Guarantee Protection?
For most dogs and cats, vaccines are effective in preventing future disease, and only rarely will a vaccinated pet have insufficient immunity to fight off the disease. It is very important to follow the vaccination schedule provided by Dr. Kate to reduce the possibility of a gap in protection.
Which Vaccines Should My Pet Receive?
What The Healthy Pet calls "Core" vaccines are recommended for most pets in here in Georgia. Some vaccines are recommended in a particular area or geographical location because they protect from diseases most common in that area. "Non-core" vaccinations are for individual dogs and cats with unique needs.
Dr. Kate will consider your pet's lifestyle and specific risk of exposure to a variety of preventable diseases in order to customize a vaccination program for the best protection throughout your pet's life. Talk with Dr. Kate about your pet's lifestyle, including any expected travel plans and/or if you plan to board your pet, since these factors can impact your pet's risk of exposure to certain diseases.